VIDEO, PHOTOS: Hungarian President met Pope Francis

President Katalin Novák met Pope Francis in Vatican City on Friday, to discuss efforts to broker peace in Ukraine, the Sándor Palace, the seat of the Hungarian president, said.

During the 45-minute one-on-one meeting, Novák and Francis communicated in Spanish. The meeting held in the Pope’s library was the fourth meeting between Novák and Francis this year. Novák and Francis agreed that all players must work together for a swift and long-term, sustainable peace, the statement said. Here is a video:

They also discussed what they could do in the interest of the repatriation of Ukrainian children taken to Russia, as well as support for traditional family values and the protection of children. Novák announced at the Crimea Platform Summit earlier this week that she would next meet with Pope Francis, and outlined the message of peace which she delivered to the pontiff today.

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She presented Francis with an album on the pontiff’s Budapest visit and an icon from western Ukraine’s Transcarpathia region of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus. Novák also met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, to discuss ways to end the war and Ukraine’s humanitarian situation. They also talked about religious freedom, the situation of persecuted Christians and topics such as the family and Christian values. The meeting was also attended by Miroslaw Wachowski, the Vatican’s under-secretary for relations with states.

Arrival to the Vatican: